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I am Italian by marriage, and over the years we have gotten pretty serious about pizza, serious enough that my husband built a wood burning pizza oven in the back yard (see picture below.)
The first time I had homemade pizza was at my mother-in-law’s house on Long Island. Growing up in New York, I ate a lot of pizza from pizzerias. It never even occurred to me that this was something you could make at home. Sure, we had English Muffin pizza and maybe some frozen French bread pizza, but real pizza? That we went out for or had delivered.
My mother-in-law made pizza that is now called “Grandma Pizza.” Baked in the oven in a half sheet pan, similar to Sicilian pizza except the crust isn’t prebaked and most unusual, at least for me, the mozzarella went on the bottom and the sauce went on top. It was awe inspiring and delicious. She was kind enough to share that recipe and many others – in fact, my husband taught me to cook using his mother’s recipes.
Backyard pizza oven all fired up
Fast forward many years, and pizza started going what some call gourmet, but really was back to its roots in Naples. The ubiquitous pizza chains are as popular as ever, but so are the Napoletana style pizzerias and lots of mom and pop shops. There are shows on the Food Network and other channels, pizza forums like Forno Bravo, pizza blogs like Worst Pizza here in south Florida.
That said, over the years we have tried lots of different recipes from a variety of sources and cookbooks. So when I heard about this Pizza Bible, I was intrigued, and when I got my hands on the book (thanks, Ten Speed Press!) I knew I found pizza nirvana.
For the beginner to the Professional Pizzaiolo, this book works for everyone. Every conceivable type of pizza is included, as the subtitle informs (I won’t be trying Chicago style pizza, which I consider to be more of a casserole than a pizza) with lots of gorgeous pictures and clear explanations and directions. Nothing is assumed, and this book is geared towards the home kitchen. There is a complete index and a list of online sources to find some of the more esoteric ingredients and equipment, but more commonly found alternatives are usually given.
We decided to try the Napoletana Dough and Sauce. There are instructions for making your own mozzarella cheese, but fresh cheese is very easy to find in my area so I didn’t feel the need to go that far. The dough was a three day affair; in fact, when I first got the book I wanted to try it right away but then realized it would take a bit of planning. All I can say is that it was worth it. It’s not difficult or even time consuming, it’s just that you need to make a poolish (starter) which needs 18 hours to grow, then make the dough, a quick affair using a stand mixer, and that needs refrigeration for 36 hours or more – thus, the planning. The dough was easy to manipulate, and that alone is worth the planning. If you’ve ever worked with store bought pizza dough or frankly, most recipes, the dough can be a bear, wanting to spring back to its original shape or tearing as it is stretched.
On the other hand, the Napoletana Sauce was super easy, basically made from San Marzano canned tomatoes pushed through a food mill and salted. For the first pizza I used the minimal amount of sauce suggested, but preferred a bit more than called for, an easy fix.
If you are using a wood fired oven, or wonder how that works, there are pictures and step by step instructions on building the fire and preparing the oven floor, along with directions on turning the pizza and so forth. This is excellent for the beginner or the curious.
Making pizza is not the easiest thing in the world, but it is worth it. The Napoletana Dough was perfect – the crust was crispy around the edges, chewy through the middle. You could pick up a slice and it held its shape without drooping and dropping sauce or cheese. It baked perfectly in a smidge over two minutes. I think we ate it about that fast, too!
I also made a calzone with ricotta, mozzarella and Romano cheese. Again, the dough was easy to work with. I didn’t overfill it, per instructions, and sealed it much like an empanada. It still popped open in one spot and lost a bit of filling, but it was delicious and pretty, too.
I like that he includes recipes like Two Cool Things to do with Leftover Dough – most useful, and an interesting meatball recipe. He explains why pepperoni is an American invention and how it differs from sausages made in Italy.
I’ll still keep using my mother-in-law’s pizza recipe when the oven in my kitchen is a better option – there’s something quite hellish about standing in front of a 900+ degree oven during a south Florida summer when it is a not-so-breezy 90+ degrees and 100% humidity outside. But I will be trying more recipes from this book. I have to try the Burratina di Margherita, which won the Gold Cup in the Pan Division of the International Tournament of Champions in Lecce, Italy – plus it’s made with burrata, which is the most heavenly cheese on earth. Here’s Tony’s description from page 129:
Burrata is mozzarella that’s formed into a pouch, filled with more mozzarella and cream, and then wrapped in leaves. As it sits, it comes together as a fresh, moist “super mozzarella” that’s insanely rich. In Lecce, they make huge burrata balls, and they treat them like sacred works of art.
In South Florida, I can get slightly smaller than tennis ball size burrata at Whole Foods or Trader Joes and it is a treat.
I’m also excited about the Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza, the Margherita Extra, made with wood oven charred cherry tomatoes instead of sauce, the Insalata AKA salad pizza, one of my faves, and so many more. This is an excellent cookbook, well laid out, easy to use, with recipes that work. Gift this to the pizza lover in your life and hope they invite you over!
1/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE PIZZA BIBLE by Tony Gemignani. Ten Speed Press (October 28, 2014). ISBN: 978-1607746058. 320p.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
The Sequel to I Hunt Killers
I used to love John Grisham. The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief were all favorites. I also loved the non-legal books like Playing for Pizza, Calico Joe and A Painted House. But somewhere along the way, I lost patience with the legal thrillers, especially when the main characters, generally well educated lawyers, started doing incredibly stupid stuff. I stopped reading them, tried again with The Litigators because my library patrons raved about it, but again found the main character too stupid to live. I gave up. Then came Gray Mountain.
Reggie Heath got a great deal on his new office lease, but if he’d read the paperwork he’d have understood why. It’s his brother who points it out to him – a clause that stipulates that they, the holders of the new lease at 221 Baker Street, are responsible for handling correspondence addressed to a certain famed and fictional detective.
Four flights – all originating from different countries and each one from a different airline – crash on the same day, stirring up a whirlwind of controversy. But it’s not just the crashes themselves that have people talking. The crashes are the sort no one walks away from, and yet three of the flights have one survivor each. These survivors – all of them young children – and an odd phone message left by one of the dying passengers have spurred movements claiming everything from aliens to Armageddon. Are these children really harbingers of some biblical apocalypse or are they to become the victims of mass hysteria?
Narrated by Davina Porter
If I lived up north, I’d keep this book for those days that I was snowed in. Since I’m in Florida, I would keep it with my hurricane supplies except hurricane season just ended and I couldn’t wait until June to read this. It is a big door stopper of a book, close to a thousand pages, and very much worth the time it takes to read it all.
Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere
In the aftermath of the events at El Corazon, Carter and Mel are faced with the possibility of losing Lily altogether. Because Mel has already been turned, they know that Lily carries the same gene. The progression of the Tick virus has been slowed temporarily thanks to the medical team at El Corazon, but Carter knows the only way to save her is to find the cure. And the only way Carter and Mel can get the cure is to work hand in hand with the very people who betrayed them.
